Gascoigne became a cult hero at Spurs after four successful years at White Hart Lane and he then went on to achieve similar status at Lazio after moving to the Italian capital in 1992.

The affection with which he is remembered by the Italian club prompted the club's general manager Maurizio Manzini to immediately invite the 45-year-old to this Thursday's encounter between the two sides when they were drawn together in Group J in August.

But Gascoigne looks set to miss the game as he has already been booked to speak at an event at the Concorde Club in Eastleigh, Southampton, the day after the match.

A spokesperson for Gascoigne's management company A1 said: "As far as we know he is not going (to the match). He is working for us on the 23rd at a public speaking function in Southampton so we don't think he will go (to Rome)."

Gascoigne declined an invite to September's reverse fixture at White Hart Lane due to "personal reasons".

Gascoigne, who played 57 times for his country, was regarded as the most skilful English player of his generation.

The former Newcastle and Rangers star has struggled to deal with alcohol problems since retirement but his agent said this summer that he had embarked on a health drive.

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t's wrong to be making a joke out of Bender's name at the expense of gay people. It's the kind of childish, uncivilised thing that Football365 would deride and ridicule if it was another media outlet saying. Why is there a need for jokes like this? Does it make your writers feel like men? F365 might suggest that I 'lighten up', but it is genuinely traumatic for people who have been oppressed all their lives to be the butt of jokes, and to be told...

ou can't blame De Gea for wanting to leave, he has enough to do in front of goal as it is as well as taking on the role of Man Utd's version of Derek Acorah in trying to contact and organise a defence that isn't there.